MSL drove another 44 meters on Sol 1414, into an area with larger blocks of bedrock .
MSL drove another 44 meters on Sol 1414, into an area with larger blocks of bedrock .
This looks like a good area to drill into the Murray Formation, so
nearby targets were selected and we are planning a short drive to
position the vehicle for drilling. But first, ChemCam and Mastcam will
observe bedrock targets “Chibia” and “Dondo.” Mastcam will also measure
the dust in the atmosphere and take an image of the Sol 1414 ChemCam
AEGIS target. Then the arm will be deployed for lots of contact science
and standard images of the wheels. MAHLI will take pictures of Chibia
before the DRT is used to brush it off, then take lots of stereo images
of the brushed spot. MAHLI will also acquire a full suite of images of
Dondo before the APXS measures its elemental chemistry. After sunset,
the APXS will be placed on Chibia for an overnight integration. Early
on Sol 1417, Navcam will search for clouds and dust devils, Mastcam will
again measure atmospheric dust, and ChemCam will measure atmospheric
chemistry. The bump to the potential drill targets will be followed by
acquisition of imaging and other data needed to plan the drill campaign
and other activities next week. Finally, AEGIS will be used for the
first time to autonomously select two targets and acquire ChemCam data
on both of them. This is a very full and complex plan, so I (as
MAHLI/MARDI uplink lead) and the rest of the team were very busy today!
by Ken Herkenhoff Dates of planned rover activities described in these reports are subject to change due to a variety of factors related to the Martian environment, communication relays and rover status.
Written by Ken Herkenhoff, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center
